Bean harvester



. F. V. SCOTT. BEAN HARVE'STER.

APPLICATION FILED- JAN. 2, 192Q.

PatentedSept. 12, 1922.

E 'anlcvscotg Elizabeth City, in the county'of Pasquotank FRANK VAUGHAN scoTnor nIzABETn' CITY, NORTH CAROLINA,

, BEAN HARVESTERQ npplicatiion filed January 2}, 920. seriarnoamspzs.

To all whom'z't may 0mm.-

Be it known that l, FRANK V. Soon, a

citizen of the United States, residing at and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in, Bean Harvesters, ofwhich the'following is a specification. s v l This invention relates to bean harvesters, and, has for an objectto providea device embodying new and improved elements, units,features, and combinations of utility, reliability and economy, of operation." 7

Referring to the accompanying; drawing, which is made a parthereof, ani on which similar reference characters indicate similar pa a ,i I 1 Figure 1 is a view of thedevice'in longitudinal vertical section, H 7

Figure 2 is a view in horizontal section taken on line 2f2 of igure 1,

Figure 3 is a detail enlarged perspective view of one ofthejguides a's ;indi cate d by arrow 3 on Figure 2, and

Figure lis a sectionalview tak n 44 of Figure 1.

The improved bean harvester,."'which forms the subject matter [of this application, comprises a body orjhousing 10'Inounted upon traction wheelsll, with means for applying draftth'er'eto indicated at 'Within' the housing '10, a shaft 13 is journaled carrying a beater preferably made up of a plurality of units, each comprising a hub 14, with a plurality of arms 15, extending radially therefromhere shown as four in number, it being'understood how-' ever that the number comprehended within the present invention is not limited in such manner. Several beater units, if usedspecificai'ly as shown, are organized into a single beater by being mounted upon the said shaft. In the drawing three ofthe units are shown joined together by cleats 16. It is obvious that any number of such units may be employed vas may' be found necessary or convenient. The shaft 13 journaled near the top of the housing 10 and an arcuate hood is erected over that portion of the beater extending above the housing.-

' At the rear of the hood 17a deck 18' is provided,'having secured to the rearward edge thereof, a downwardlylextending apron 19 unattached 'at its lower edge;

Beneath the apron 19 a combinationscreen agitator and conveyor is mounted, comprising an agitator section I 20" and screen sec-1 I tion 21. The agitator and screen areIp ref"--"' erably mounted in thesame frame and the same plane, although the "exact features of 'mountings'a're" immaterial to the present inventi'on. Also the unitary structure is mounted to oscillate in any approved man:

ner as by pivoting upon'links22 and 23. The agitator section 20 and screen section 21,"as will. be noted, are'zthe stepped or saw- "toothed construction whereby "the material,

dumped thereon from the beater is agitated "T unit is oscillated'until the material is'passed contentsii'n any approved manner as by the I'nanipulation of the door 25. Theupper and movedupwardlyfand rearwardly as the and'rearward end of theagitatonconveyorscreen unit eXt-endsrearwardly over the body i' '10 as at 26,"so that-the; stalks, stems and other extraneous matter is dumped from the rear endof the body onto the ground.

v For-the purpose ofdri'ving the heater and osclllatlng the; agitator screen, power is taken from one or both .of the traction wheels'll in any approved. manner. As

here'shown a sprocket collar'27 is secured to the spokes of one of the wheels, andcarties a sprocket chain 28 passing abpu -bj Sprocket 9 upon the shaft; 13 and abo uta' sprocket 30 upon a shaft 31/ The shaft 31 is journaled to rotate in the housing 10 and is "provided with an offsetcrank portion 32 connecting with the link 33', whereby when the shaft 31 is driven, thewagitatocscreen unit will be oscillated upon the links 1' 22 and a To guide the standing stalks into position are by the guides 34 introduced "into" the' interval 35 into'position to be acted' upon by The guides 34 are of new-and the beater. novel shape, having their lower planes" 36 substantially horizontalbut their proximate edges curved as indicated at 37. Above this member '38, a plate 40 "is provided with a- V-shaped plate 41 extending above the plate itd be acted upon by the b,eater','guides 34 v a i are employed spaced, apart by an interval indicated at 35, so that the standing stalks" i ov 40 and curved to correspond to the curvat ure of the member 38, with an edge 42 extending above the plate 40. It will be noted especially from Figures 2 and 3 that this edge 42 is rolled inwardly and tapered above the plate 40. At the rear of the plate 40 a guide 43 is provided having its edges turned upwardly as indicated at 44. Between the upturned edges 44 and the rolled edges 42 a trough-like space is provided for the rotation of the beater, so that the materials, dislodged by the beater when thrown upon the bottom of the housing, will be thrown against either the plates 40 or 43 and by the rotation'ot the beater, either through interposition of material moved thereby or by air currents created by such rotation, will be thrown rearwardly against the apron 19 and dropped upon the conveyor portion 20 of the conveyor-screen.

The apron 19 performs not only the function of limiting the trajectory of the material from the beater, but also by bearing upon the top of the material upon the agitator-screen surface to hold the material in more intimate relation with suchiunit and by maintaining the material in a mass or sheet to facilitate the movement of the entire mass somewhat as a unit along the surface of the agitator-screen impelled by the action of the beater in the rear and the stepped slats extending across the unit.

To prevent the material acted upon from falling between the plate 43 and the agitator 20, a flexible section 45 composed of fabric or the like is attached to the rear of the plate44 and to the lower edge of the agitator as indicated more particularly at Figure 1.

Also to prevent the material from passing over the edges of the agitator-screen unit, such unitis provided upon opposite edges with an upstanding flange 46 and a shield 47 is attached to the inner surface 01 the housing 10 and extends over the flange 46 forming a slip joint between such members permitting the oscillation and reciprocation of the agitator-screen unit.

It is obvious that in operation as the de vice is driven along a row of standing peas, beans or the like with the traction wheels 11 spaced substantially equally distant upon opposite sides of the row, the standing plants will be guided by the guides 34 into the opening 35 where they will be violently beaten by the beater which in its rotation will tear and cut the stalks and stems, carrying such severed stalks and stems with it in its rotation, and at the same time by concussion, opening the pods, discharging the beans or peas thereirom. The beans or peas when discharged from the pods, in their ripened state or when in condition tor harvesting, nevertheless, still are commingled with the pods. The stalks and the stems will be thrown upon the agitatorsection 20 which will agitate the commingled mass, which is held evenly but yieldingly by the'apron 19 and by reason of the shape and greater specific gravity of the peas or beans, will cause the said peas or beans to seek the lower level in engagement with the conveyor while the stalks and stems and lighter materials will occupy a position above. rials are forced on to the screen portion by the pressure behind, the agitation and the force of the unit, and the peas or beans promptly discharged through such screen into the bin 24. The continual addition oi material from the agitator 20 to the screen Will cause the material thereon to be moved upwardly and rearwardly and after sutficient agitation, to discharge through the screen all of the beans or peas, will dump the stalks, stems and the like over the rear end of the screen at 26 on to the ground.

Especial emphasis is placed on the tormation of the bottom or the forward end of the body comprising'the plates 40 and with the upturned flanges 42 and 44. These members form a trough-like passage'through the forward end of the body tending to continually move any contained material into the path of action of the beater to complete the opening of any unopened pods to discharge the beans 'or peas and also to bring the material in such position that the rotation of the agitator will engage against the material and throw it rearwardly upon the agitator section 20 against the apron 19. As has been pointed out, the apron 19 performs the function of limiting the movement of the material thrown from the beater so that it is not thrown over the rear end of the body, but it also performs another and perhaps even more important function in that it holds the material yieldingly upon the agitator and screen section whereby it is subjected more thoroughly to the agitation and is advanced to the discharge end of the screen section by the continued agitation and the saw-tooth formation of the unit.

Having thus fully described my said in vention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

j l. A bean harvester comprising a body having a centrally disposed longitudinal opening in its bottom, traction wheels supporting the body, a beater journaled within the body positioned to operate adjacent the longitudinal opening, an agitator-screen mounted Within the body and adapted to maintain therewith an inclination, means for driving the heater and oscillating the agitator-screen comprising a sprocket on a traction wheel, sprockets on the shafts of the beater and the agitator-screen and a chain engaging all the sprockets, and means In this relation the mate drlve the latter, and guides formed at the;

to guide material from the beater on tothe agitator.

21A bean harvester comprising a body having a central longitudinal opening in its forward end, traction Wheels supporting the body, a beater journaled to rotate within the body adj acent the longitudinal opening, an

agitator-screen mounted to maintain an'inclination with the horizontal and adaptedto oscillate adj acentthe-beater, means to simultaneously actuatethe beaterfand agitatorscreen, comprising atractionWheel carrying a driving element, "a shaft connected to the agitator screen carrying a'driven element, a driven element on the shaft of the beater, flexible means connecting the driving element and the two driven elements to forward end of the body adjacent the longitudinal openmg and provlded with concldal shaped upper surfaces.

3. A bean harvester comprlsing a body having a central longitudlnal opening in the bottom at the forward end, Wheels supporting the body, a heater mounted to rotate Within the body adjacent to. thelongi tudinal opening, a plate disposed at the rear of the beater having its edges turned upwardly to form a trough-like channel for the passage of the beater, a separatlng element mounted in the rear of the beater and in position to receive material from the plate, and an apron'positioned to limit the.

having a slot formed in the bottom of the,

forward end, mechanically operated beating andseparating elements disposed Within the bod in operative relation to the slot, guides formed upon the forward end of the body with the lower edges engaging the proXi-' 1n ate edges of the slbt and the upper surfaces of COHOlClELl 'SOIIHBfDlOD, plates disposed in the rear of the conoidal guides, and guard members forming a continuation of the inner surfaces of the guides With their upper edges rolled inwardly over the plates.

6. In a bean harvester, abody having a portion of its upper surface open, a beating ber mounted within the housing, a sepah member disposed upon an inclined plane in the rear'and to receive material and rearward endeXtending-and adaptedrto discharge over the rear of the body-and trom the beating element and vvitl'i it'sfupper 1 means to oscillate the separating --member and a hoiusing extendingoverthe beating member'and comprising an apron "depending therefrom. near the supporting member,"said apron serving to l mlt "the distance to which material can. be thrown. by "the beat ng I memberg I a"bean"harvesterga housing, 'anrn clined agitator-conveyor, a beaterv positioned to discharge material upon:the agitaton "conveyor, and an" apron positioned to bear upon material upon the agitator-conveyor.

.8. In a bean harvester, a housing, an agltator-conveyor set at an nclination to the plane of the housing, an a ron hung from a. support above and extending nearly i into engagement With the agitator-conveyor,- and a beater positioned to throw material upon theagitator-conveyor and into engagement with the apron.'-

9. In a bean harvester, a housing,'an inclined agitator-conveyor, a heater positioned to discharge material upon. said agitatorconveyor, and flexible means arranged to bear upon the materialupon the agitatorconveyor. i I r 10. A ,beanharvester comprismg'a casing,

also in said casing and positioned to 1 disi I an agitator-conveyor in said caslng, a heater charge-material upon said agitator-co ns, p veyor, and means yieldingly supported Tare.

ranged to bear upon thematerial carried upon said agitator-conveyor, substantially as set forth. Y

lL- A bean harvester comprising a casing, a I

beater positioned in the front portion of said casing, an agitator-conveyor positioned be hind sald beater, means for (llI'6Ct1I1g"tl18 material fromsaid heater upon said agitator-conveyor, and means yieldingly supported above said agitator-conveyor and adapted to bear upon the material'i'n its passage thereover, substantially as set forth.

12. A bean harvester comprising a body" having a pair of supporting wheelspa beater in front of said wheels, an agitator-screen in the'rear thereof, a shaft. adjacent to the screen for driving it, a sprocket carried by one of the supporting Wheels, sprockets carried "by the beater shaft and thel'agitatorscreen shaft, respectively, and a single; 120.

sprocket chain mounted. to I engage said several sprockets whereby the'beater and the ag1tator-screen are driven by a common driving means connected with the support-- ing Wheels, substantially as set. forth. 18. A bean harvester comprising a casing, an agitator-conveyor 1n sa d'casing, means for imparting to said conveyor a rec1procatmg movement and separate means for im-L parting to its rearend a vertical movement, a beaterpositioned in front of said agitatorsconveyor and adapted to throw the bean vines on to said conveyor, means for operating said heater, and an inclined plate eX- tending upwardly toward the front of the machine from a position approximately beneath the axis of the heater, substantially as set forth. a

14. A bean harvester comprising a casing,

an agitator-conveyor in said casing, a heater also in said casing and positioned to discharge material upon said agitator-conveyor, means for operating said conveyor and said heater, and an inclined plate extending upwardly from a point approximately beneath the axis of the beater toward the front of the machine and another incline extending downwardly to the front of the machine and adapted to guide the material upon said first mentioned incline, substantially as set forth. 7

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Elizabeth City, N. C. this Qth day of December, A. D. nineteen hundred and nineteen. I

FRANK VAUGHAN SCOTT. Witnesses:

GEO. J. SPENCER, R. L. KENDRICK. 

